Blonde beaches, infinity pools and bathtubs full of roses.
Enter the world of Ruan Griessel and Lee-Chazelle Oberholzer, who got married on April 27 of last year and have been traveling non-stop ever since.
The couple, from Pretoria in South Africa, sold everything they had to travel full-time and have been documenting their trip online through stunning photographs, racking up millions of views and 79,170 followers on Tik Tok, instagram and Youtube.
With your permission, MailOnline Travel has selected 15 of your images that are sure to spark your wanderlust.
The reason you photograph your trips? They said: ‘It’s our way of experiencing it fully, while capturing these memories that we’ll be able to look back on in 50 years. “It’s also a reminder of how far we’ve come.”
Ruan, 28, and Lee-Chazelle, 23, sold everything they own to travel together full-time and now post stunning photos online. Here they are photographed at the stunning Villa Cella Bella in Ubud, Bali.
On the left, the happy couple is shown enjoying the pool at Cretya Ubud, a day club and restaurant in Bali. In the image on the right, Ruan is shown holding Lee-Chazelle on a surfboard. This unique shot was captured on the island of Siargao in the Philippines.
The couple told MailOnline Travel that their photograph is a “reminder of how far we have come”. Here they are photographed on the island of Lombok, Indonesia.
They go to great lengths to get the perfect shot, using a combination of photography equipment, including drones, the Sony A7iii camera, various GoPro lenses and models, and their trusty tripod, which they named Stan.
Sharing the benefits of traveling as a couple, they said, “We can experience the most beautiful destinations in the world together, try the most incredible food together, and create unforgettable memories together that we will cherish forever.”
“Travelling together has also brought us a lot closer as a married couple because suddenly everything around us becomes strange and new and the only familiarity we had was with each other.”
While they don’t reside in a “singular” location, the couple spends most of their time in Bali between trips.
The spectacular cliff-lined road leading to Bali’s Pantai Batu Barak Beach occupies the background of the photo on the left. The picture on the right shows them enjoying the luxurious infinity pool on the rooftop of Amara Bangkok.
The two are pictured left at Leopard Valley Eco Retreat, two hours from Cape Town, South Africa. In the picture on the right, they are on Soi Rommanee, a short, colorful street in Phuket.
On the left, Ruan is shown spinning Lee-Chazelle around the Thean Hou Temple in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The couple said: “Travelling together has brought us so much closer.” They are photographed on the right at Diamonds Thudufushi in the Maldives.
Some of the favorite places they have captured are the Maldives, Bali and the Philippines.
But the Maldives archipelago takes the cake.
They said: ‘There is something magical about the Maldives that we can’t quite explain. The marine life, the people, the food, the turquoise waters and everything else. Being in the Maldives brought us a sense of peace that we had not experienced anywhere else before.”
One destination that surprised them is Gili Trawangan, one of three Gili Islands off the coast of Lombok, an island in Indonesia.
The couple said: ‘We didn’t expect it to be so amazing. Gili Trawangan is by far the best place we have been to snorkel with sea turtles.’
While some may think their life is a never-ending honeymoon, the couple says a lot of work goes into creating their content.
In the image on the left, the couple walks hand in hand while exploring the lush green forests of Bali. On the right, they appear next to a “flower bath” at the Magic Hills resort in Bali.
In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the couple stopped to take a photo next to this eye-catching wall of flowers (pictured left). On the right, they are shown in a rock pond in Uluwatu, Bali. The couple wrote in an accompanying Instagram caption: “It was full of small sharp stones but it was worth it.”
The couple told MailOnline Travel that through their photographs they can “create unforgettable memories together”. Featured here on the colorful Naithon Beach, Phuket, Thailand.
In addition to travel photography, Ruan works as an online fitness trainer and Lee-Chazelle earns passive income through her dress rental business. They also create content for brands and hotels and sell products online such as travel guides.
They said: ‘On social media, it may seem like we’re living life and just having fun, but the truth is that there is a lot of planning and work involved in the content we create. We don’t have days off, weekends or holidays; For us, every day is a work day.’
They added: ‘With all the unforgettable moments, there have also been many low moments. Missing flights, sleeping on the cold floor of an airport, getting scammed, having a bike accident and the list goes on.’
But they say the secret to success is communicating openly and prioritizing spending time together.
And they added: “Don’t let your life partner simply become a business partner.”
To learn more about Ruan and Lee-Chazelle, visit their Instagram (@once_upon_a_plane_), Tik Tok (www.tiktok.com/@once_upon_a_plane) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/canal). Or find their website at onceuponaplane.com.
